softshell_turtle

This ugly soft-shelled turtles are anything but soft. The animals are aggressive creatures and will often get into fights with fellow turtles.

(Reuters)

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baby_aardvark

While we're sure their mothers think they're cute, we sure don't. Baby aardvark's are definitely not cuddly by our standards with their wrinkly skin and naked appearance.

(Busch Garden Zoo)

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long_nosed_chimaera

What is that? According to a researcher at a Canadian university, it is a rarely seen fish from the arctic. The long-nosed chimaera displays characteristics from relative breeds of Sharks and Stingrays with a tail like a whip and a long, pointed nose and can grow to over three feet in length.

(Facebook/Jutai Korgak)

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giant_japanese_salamander

These 5 feet long, 80 pound Japanese giant salamanders can bite off chunks of your finger in a split second. The rare amphibians have a conservation status of "near threatened" due to hunting of the slimy animals, National Geographic reported.

(National Geographic/Joel Sartore)

giant_japanese_salamander

Blobfish

The sad-looking blobfish was recently named the world's ugliest animal. It floats along the ocean floor along the coast of Australia and Tasmania, surviving by eating whatever drifts in front of it.

Trawling off the Australian coast threatens the blobfish into extinction, perhaps justifying its gloomy expression.

blobfish

seacucumbers

Yes, these things are edible. Sea cucumbers, found in Asian cuisine are marked by their leathery skin and elongated bodies that can stretch to squeeze into the smallest of spaces.

(Sasha Bogursky)

seacucumbers

waterholdingfrog

Litoria platycephala or water-holding frogs can be found in most Australian states. These frogs may look innocent at first glance, but after they bury themselves into the sand they form a mucus cocoon from their own external skin. During especially dry weather periods, they resort to eating their flesh in order to save energy and obtain additional nutrition.with its external skin during periods of hot, dry weather.

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doting_caecilian_mom

A doting caecilian mother coils around her eggs, which will hatch out mini-adults within two to three months. Read more

(SD Biju, www.frogindia.org)

doting_caecilian_mom

Coconut Crab

The coconut crab is the largest land-living arthropod in the world. Its name comes from its ability to break coconuts with its powerful pincers. Also known as the robber crab or palm thief, the coconut crab is sometimes used to protect coconut groves or sold as a pet in some areas of the world ... but owners had better watch out for those pincers.

coconut-crab

Oyster Toadfish

The oyster toadfish’s ugly appearance allows it to blend into the ocean floor, where it motionlessly sits waiting to catch its prey by surprise. The fish is an omnivore that will eat many smaller animals; it can be found scaring other fish anywhere from the coasts of Maine to the Caribbean.

(Time Life Pictures)

oyster-toadfish

Chinese Crested Hairless Dog

Meet the bug-eyed Chinese crested hairless dog, whose pimples and lolling tongue have led to several wins in various world's ugliest dog contests.

(AP Photo/Noah Berger)

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Giant_Isopod_4

Giant isopods are important scavengers in the deep-sea -- and disturbing to see! They are found from the gloomy zones at a depth of 550 feet to the pitch darkness at 7,000 feet and beyond, where pressures are high and temperatures are very low -- down to about 39 degrees. They are thought to prefer a muddy surface and lead solitary lives. Read more

Side View of Giant Isopod

It's creepy enough to merit a second view, isn't it? In March, a submarine exploring the ocean's depths returned with this giant isopod clinging to its railing, leaving many crew members wondering just what they'd brought back from the depths.

(<a href="http://i.imgur.com/ZBf3X.jpg">Imgur</a>)

side-view-of-giant-isopod

Warthog

Not nearly as cute as Pumba in "The Lion King," the warthog gets its name from the four wart-like protrusions erupting from its elongated head. Although warthogs generally prefer flight to fight, their tusks give warthogs a natural weapon -- making them well equipped to stand their ground if threatened.

warthog

Forensic Entomologist

The thought of bed bugs is enough to make anyone shiver. Actually getting a look at one -- as this digitally colorized microscope photograph allows us to do -- will really put the fear of the creepy insects in you. Cimex lectularius are parasitic insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals ... like you and me.

(CDC/ Janice Haney Carr)

forensic-entomologist

Sphynx Cat

The Sphynx cat is a rare breed known for its apparent lack of fur. Although it lacks a full coat, the Sphynx is covered with a peach-like fuzz. Contrary to its alarming appearance, the Sphynx cat’s lack of a fur coat makes it a surprisingly cuddly companion, owners claim.

(Reuters)

sphynx-cat

Dragonfish

The black dragonfish’s long fangs give it a fearsome appearance -- though in reality it measures just 6 inches in length. The dragonfish is bioluminescent, emitting a red or bluish-green light. That nearly infrared light can be used to attract prey in its deep-sea habitat or possibly attract a mate.

(Dr. Julian Finn, Museum Victoria)

dragonfish

Star-Nosed Mole

The star-nosed mole obviously gets its name from its very distinctive snout. The 22 pink appendages are touch organs used by the mole to identify its prey. Since the star-nosed mole is functionally blind, its nasal tentacles are ultra-sensitive, allowing the hamster-sized beast to identify and consume its prey in a matter of milliseconds. The mole mainly inhabits eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S.

star-nosed-mole

Baird Tapir

Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is a species of tapir that is native to Central America and northern South America. It is one of three Latin American species of tapir.

(Eric Kilby)

baird-tapir

Monkfish

Monkfish refers to a number of fish in the northwest Atlantic, most notably the species of the anglerfish and the anglershark. The term is also occasionally used for a European sea monster more often called a sea monk.

(Alexander Mayrhofer)

monkfish

Elephant Seal

Elephant seals take their name from the large proboscis of the adult males (bulls) which resembles an elephant's trunk.The bull's proboscis produces extraordinarily loud roaring noises, especially during the mating season. More important, the nose acts as a sort of rebreather, filled with cavities designed to reabsorb moisture from the animals' exhalations.

(NOAA)

elephant-seal

California Condor

The California Condor is a large, black vulture with a shocking apperance: The color of the skin on its bald head ranges from bright red to yellowish. It has the largest wingspan of any North American bird -- and is one of the heaviest, weighing up to 29lbs.

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

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Sea Pig

The sea pig, a deep-sea animal more commonly known as a sea cucumber, gets its name from its pink, pig-like body complete with enlarged tube feet that look like legs. The sea pig extracts its food from deep-sea mud and often lives in large colonies, numbering between 300 and 600.

sea-pig

Naked Mole Rat

The naked mole rat, inhabiting parts of eastern Africa, gets its name from its pink, hairless skin. The rat’s lungs are very small making it highly adept to underground life. Fun fact: Its skin lacks pain receptors. The naked mole rat is the longest living rodent as well, capable of living up to 28 years.

(AP)

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Dugong

The dugong is a large marine chunk of flesh, which together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. Like the others, the dugong has an odd body with no dorsal fin or hind limbs, instead possessing paddle-like forelimbs used to get around.

(Julien Willem)

dugong

Goblin Shark

The goblin shark is known for its oddly-shaped head, with a protruding, trowel-shaped beak and gnarled jaws. A deep-sea dweller, the goblin shark’s pinkish skin never comes in contact with sunlight. Goblin sharks are sometimes caught by deep-sea fishers and trawlers, and their warped jaws can be sold for high prices to collectors.

(David Shen / SeaPics.com)

goblin-shark

Tarsier

Tarsiers are small animals with enormous eyes; each eyeball is approximately 16 mm in diameter and is as large as their entire brain. Tarsiers also have very long hind limbs. In fact, their feet have extremely elongated tarsus bones, from which the animals get their name.

(Jasper Greek Golangco)

tarsier

Aye-Aye

Native to Madagascar, the Aye-aye is considered an omen of death to many African villagers. Its unfortunate appearance leads the superstitious to kill an aye-aye on sight, causing the population to dwindle. The largest nocturnal mammal, the aye-aye’s behavior closely resembles that of a woodpecker: It gnaws into trees to use its elongated finger to extract grub from within.

aye-aye

Congo_Tiger_Fish

Jeremy Wade, host of the Discovery Channel program "River Monsters," holds the congo tiger fish he captured for season 2 of the show. Several species of fish are lumped under the same name, usually characterized by their protruding teeth and fierce predatory behavior. Let's leave the hunting to the experts like Wade; if you see one, stay away.

(Animal Planet/Discovery)

congo_tiger_fish

Yeti Crab

The Yeti crab, discovered in the South Pacific in 2005, gets its name from the “hair” covering its elongated pincers. The unique pincers contain filamentous bacteria, which may be a source of nourishment for the Yeti crab or could be used to detoxify poisonous material in its environment.

(IFREMER, A. Fifis)

yeti-crab

Mata mata

The mata mata turtle is one of a kind. Its name (translated from the Spanish) means “I kill, I kill,” and that may not be far from your first instinct. While its shell may be unimpressive, the long, triangular head of the mata mata is covered in warts, hooks and barbs with a long, pointed horn at the end. To avoid encountering one, steer clear of South America, primarily the Amazon.

mata-mata

Proboscis Monkey

The proboscis monkey is best known for its sizable schnoz. Reaching up to 7 inches in length, the nose of the pot-bellied monkey is used by the males to attract a mate, thanks to its unusual appearance. Chambers in the nose are also used to amplify the primate’s warning call. Due to habitat loss, the proboscis monkey is currently an endangered species.